A B.C. mom is shocked and shaken after her three-year-old daughter was attacked by a bear outside of the family’s Metro Vancouver home Sunday.
Andrea Lekei told CTV News she, her husband, and their toddler were in the backyard in Maple Ridge when she heard the child cry out, and knew immediately that something was very wrong.
“She just started screaming, just screaming like I’ve never heard her scream before,” Lekei said, adding that her husband was ultimately able to fend the bear off so she could grab her bleeding child and call 911.
“He managed to get him away just as he was about to take another bite at her neck,” Lekei said. “The bear just kept coming back. He had no other choice but to get his compound bow. He did shoot the bear in the head, and the bear at that point ran off”.
The three-year-old was airlifted to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver and is expected to make a full recovery, her mother said.
“She has pretty deep lacerations to the back of her neck and her head, and puncture wounds throughout her back and neck and scratches as well,” she told CTV News.
“I am still in shock. You have waves of wanting to break down and just cry. But we’ve been staying strong for her. She’s a brave little warrior. I cannot believe how tough she is.”
Mounties, along with conservation officers, were called to the home around 11:30 a.m.
“While officers were on scene, the bear returned to the residence and the immediate area multiple times, showing a high degree of interest in the location,” the statement from the Maple Ridge RCMP said.
“As the bear had showed signs of aggression and already attacked a small child, officers made the decision to discharge a firearm in an effort to protect public safety in the immediate area. The bear was struck but continued to flee into a wooded area.”
The bear has not been located, but when it is it will be destroyed, officials said.
